New York, NY – Jonesboro Right Now – For nearly three decades, Trey Stafford and Jim Frigo have started their mornings together behind microphones in Jonesboro, AR.
On Wednesday, Oct. 21, those microphones were more than 1,000 miles from home.
Broadcasting live from Studio 5A inside ABC News World Headquarters at 7 Hudson Square in Manhattan, the longtime hosts of Stafford and Frigo on 104.9 The Fox turned a trip to the National Association of Broadcasters’ Marconi Radio Awards into something much more personal: a celebration of people with Northeast Arkansas connections who have gone on to remarkable careers in New York City.
The pair traveled to New York after being named finalists for Small Market Personality of the Year, one of radio broadcasting’s most prestigious honors. They didn’t win the award. But by Wednesday morning, it was clear they had found plenty of other reasons to celebrate.
The broadcast began with an introduction that sounded a little different from the one Fox listeners normally hear.
“Now live from Studio 5A at ABC News World Headquarters at 7 Hudson Square in New York City. It’s the Marconi Award-nominated duo, Stafford and Frigo on 104.9 The Fox.”
The two immediately decided they liked the sound of that. “We’re gonna keep playing that intro,” Stafford joked later in the morning.
For Frigo, who was visiting New York City for the first time, the experience was almost overwhelming. The day before, Stafford’s wife, Jenna, had taken the group on a sightseeing marathon that included Grand Central Terminal, Rockefeller Plaza and Times Square — a walking adventure of roughly 16,000 steps.
At one point, Stafford joked about the enormous electronic displays in Times Square.
“I tried to get KAIT on one of those TVs, and I couldn’t find the remote.”
The broadcasters also toured ABC’s new headquarters, meeting engineer Kevin Ryder and special-events producer Trevor Hastings, who helped make the live broadcast possible.
Frigo was so impressed with the studio that he proposed a deal: “If they build us a studio like this, we’ll stay on for one more year.” But the real highlights of the morning came when the guests started arriving.
The first visitors were Zach Alexander and Bennett Waddell, two Jonesboro natives now practicing law at major New York firms. Alexander works at Winston Taylor LLP, while Waddell is with Kirkland & Ellis.
Both talked about the unlikely paths that took them from Jonesboro classrooms to Manhattan offices, along with the adjustments of living in a city where neither owns a car.
Frigo wanted to know something considerably more important: “Is there anywhere you could go and actually get some good biscuits and gravy there?” The attorneys offered a few possibilities, but the conversation soon turned to a much bigger subject.
Alexander had been part of the legal team representing Michael Jordan’s 23XI Racing organization in its high-profile antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR.
He told the hosts he had worked on the case from the beginning, helped draft the complaint and participated in the trial in Charlotte before the parties reached a settlement. And yes, he actually got to meet Michael Jordan.
“We’d hang out with Michael Jordan in court every day,” Alexander said.
Stafford immediately asked the obvious question: “How did that one-on-one game with Michael go for you?”
Alexander didn’t claim any basketball victories. He did, however, have another story. “I got to drink some tequila with Michael, so that was probably the best,” he said.
The conversation eventually returned to Jonesboro, where both attorneys credited teachers and mentors for helping prepare them for their careers.
Stafford also reminded Waddell of a much earlier occasion when the young attorney had appeared at his house. Years ago, Waddell had picked up Stafford’s daughter, Ellie, for the high school prom.
“You brought her home on time,” Stafford told him, “and that’s why we’re still buddies.”
Next came a reunion with DJ Cunningham, who worked as a television news anchor at KAIT in Jonesboro beginning in 1997.
Today, Cunningham is a producer for ABC News Live, following a career that has included work at Inside Edition and the Tamron Hall show.
She greeted the hosts with a confession: “As a woman who is allergic to sunrises, there are not many people I would get out of bed and be at work for.”
Cunningham grew up in Carlisle, AR, and described a winding career path that eventually brought her to New York in 2010. The interview included plenty of laughs, but also one of the morning’s most meaningful conversations.
Stafford asked Cunningham about covering the 1998 Westside Middle School shooting near Jonesboro, an experience they had shared as local journalists.
“It was very tough. It’s still tough to this day,” Cunningham said.
She described the emotional toll of reporting from the school, covering the funerals and following the aftermath of the tragedy. The experience ultimately contributed to her decision to step away from journalism for a period.
For young people listening back home, Cunningham offered advice drawn from her own unconventional career.
“Get yourself as close to where you want to be as you possibly can,” she said.
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She encouraged aspiring broadcasters and journalists to build relationships, make connections and not be afraid to pick up the telephone. “Make the cold call,” Cunningham advised. “Actually call them. Really freak someone out. Call them.”
Broadway performer Tanner Wilson was next.
A 2010 graduate of Jonesboro High School, Wilson has appeared in major Broadway productions including “Cats,” “Head Over Heels” and “Hadestown.” Stafford remembered Wilson as a young performer growing up alongside his own daughter in Jonesboro’s dance and theater community.
Wilson recalled being just 12 years old when he was recruited for a Jonesboro High School production of “Les MisĂ©rables.”
“They needed a little boy to come up and be in ‘Les MisĂ©rables,'” he explained. That opportunity changed the direction of his life.
“I got to sing and dance on stage, and everybody was like, ‘Hey, you’re pretty good at that, kid. You should kind of stick to this.'”
Wilson did exactly that.
He told the hosts that he joined “Hadestown” in late 2022 and was approaching four years with the production — an unusually long and welcome run in the unpredictable world of Broadway. He also shared a few of his more unusual television experiences, including appearing as a mime in a character’s nightmare sequence and making background appearances on “Saturday Night Live.”
Despite living in New York for approximately 14 years, Wilson said he still feels a connection to Jonesboro and has returned to help with local theater productions.
Stafford summed up the journey simply: “Jonesboro High School to Broadway. We’re proud of you.”
Actor Donnie Keshawarz brought some of the morning’s biggest laughs.
Keshawarz, who discovered acting while attending Jonesboro High School, has built a television career with credits including “24,” “The Sopranos” and “The Blacklist.” He traced the beginning of that career to a high school soccer injury that left him looking for something to do after school.
Drama teacher Keith Salter suggested he audition for a play. Keshawarz did, and everything changed.
“Jonesboro is where my acting chops just got started,” he said. Years later, his career would take him onto the sets of some of television’s most acclaimed dramas.
For Stafford, however, one credit stood above the rest. “I have an unhealthy obsession with The Blacklist,” he admitted. He was particularly interested in hearing stories about the show’s star, James Spader, who played Raymond Reddington. Unfortunately, Keshawarz had some disappointing news.
“No, I didn’t have any scenes with him,” he said.
“Oh, rats,” Stafford replied.
Keshawarz offered some consolation. “That keeps it a little more in the realm of romantic for you. It doesn’t spoil anything.”
Frigo, meanwhile, was eager to discuss “The Sopranos.”
Keshawarz said he appeared in eight episodes and described the extraordinary atmosphere on the show’s set, where accomplished actors sometimes worked alongside people recruited for their authentic neighborhood personalities. He also discussed new creative ambitions, including a developing film project with fellow Northeast Arkansas connection James Barr.
And unlike the other New York guests, Keshawarz revealed that he still owns a car.
“He has a car, folks!” Frigo exclaimed.
The morning’s final guest was Broadway actress Jenny Powers, who lives in Jonesboro with her husband, fellow Broadway performer Matt Cavenaugh, and their three children.
Powers had actually been on the same flight from Memphis to New York as Stafford and Frigo. She was in Manhattan performing in the off-Broadway musical “Memoirs of Amorous Gentlemen,” a professional opportunity that had come as something of a surprise.
Powers explained that she had been asked to audition for a character considerably older than herself.
“They were looking for someone in their 50s to 60s. And I’m in my 40s, guys. So I was a little offended.”
She initially didn’t take the opportunity very seriously, even recording her audition with help from her teenage son without telling her husband. Then came a callback, another audition and ultimately the offer.
The production marked a return to the New York stage after years focused on raising her family and building theater opportunities in Jonesboro. Powers and Cavenaugh are founders of The Link Theatre Company, which brings professional theatrical productions and training opportunities to Northeast Arkansas.
She also shared the story of a recent family performance at New York’s 54 Below, where she, Cavenaugh and their children performed together in two sold-out concerts.
Powers jokingly called it “the Von Trapp Cavenaugh family taking over New York City.”
Before leaving the studio, Powers turned the conversation back toward the hosts.
“You both are incredibly talented,” she told Stafford and Frigo. “You have these legendary voices and you’ve left a lasting impression, impact on the Jonesboro community.”
Stafford quickly deflected the compliment. “You and Matt have legendary voices. Jim and I just, I don’t know what this is.”
The trip began with the Marconi Awards ceremony Tuesday evening at New York’s Edison Ballroom.
Stafford and Frigo were finalists in the Small Market Personality of the Year category, an honor recognizing their decades of work at 104.9 The Fox.
The award went to West Virginia broadcaster Chris Lawrence, whom both hosts praised for his acceptance speech and dedication to radio.
They also celebrated longtime Memphis broadcasters Ron Olson and Karen Perrin, who won a Marconi Award.
Stafford reflected on how Olson’s earlier work with Make-A-Wish helped inspire The Fox’s annual Have-A-Heart Wish-A-Thon, which has raised more than $10 million over the years for children with critical illnesses.
The award ceremony, Frigo said, reminded him why he had chosen radio in the first place. He recalled hearing other broadcasters describe their careers in almost exactly the same terms he and Stafford have used for years.
“We do it because this is what we do and this is what we want to do,” Frigo said. “And everything else that comes from that is just a bonus.”
As the special New York broadcast drew to a close, the two thanked their hosts at ABC, their guests, their families and the listeners who had followed their adventures from back home.
Stafford acknowledged that being nominated alongside some of the industry’s best broadcasters had been an emotional milestone.
“This career we do is quite the career,” he said. “For me and Jim, it’s all we’ve ever wanted to do.”
Then he reflected on the remarkable morning they had just experienced.
“To actually be on a list of the kind of people we were on last night was a big deal for us. And then to be able to do this this morning just kind of has put the icing on the cake for us.”
Frigo thanked the audience for sharing in the experience.
“It’s been a big deal for me, and I appreciate you letting me indulge in it a little bit.”
The morning featured lawyers, journalists, Broadway performers and television actors — all with stories that began, or passed through, Northeast Arkansas. And for two longtime radio personalities from Jonesboro, the opportunity to bring those stories home might have been the best award of all.
Audio Segments from Stafford and Frigo LIVE in NYC
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